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Anyone knows anything about this ammo?

avdltd
Walmart sells a 135 grain, 40 S&W HST hollowpoint for $23.00!!!
The modell number is: XM40HA
I can't find anything about this ammo, on Federal's web-site, or anywhere else. Looks great, and shoots great. Does anyone know anything about this stuff?
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • nononsense
    avdltd,

    The ballistics for the XM40HA is 1220 FPS @ 446 ft-lbs. muzzle. This ammunition was designed for close quarters, short barrel pistols specifically for ICE.

    Federal lost the 135 grain contract, but retained the 155 and 180 grain contract. That last 135 grain contract was for 500 million rounds over five years. Now all of the run is considered overrun and is selling to the general public.

    XM40HA, which uses a 135 grain HST bullet. The HA version was designed to be used in the HK P2000sk which is issued to firearms instructors as well as a few other select personnel within USBP/ICE/CBP.

    Federal's premier Law Enforcement ammunition is now the TACTICAL series. These rounds have been studied and tested for years now and is truthfully quite amazing. Federal's HST rounds were engineered to expand well beyond twice the original diameter in bare gelatin.

    Best.
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  • avdltd
    Thank you so much, nononsense, that's very helpful indeed. Would you consider this to be a good self defence round? It seems to me that the exotic, "superhot" loads are somewhat over-hyped, I mean, with a good hit, wouldn't this, somewhat lower powered round, do the trick just as well,or only insignificantly less so? It seems to me that, from the figures you quoted, that it would be substantially more effective than a 9mm, or?

    Be well
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  • nononsense
    avdltd,

    I think that depends on the bullet weight and velocity. Here is some data for comparison:

    9x19mm Ballistic Performance

    Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy
    7.45 g (115.0 gr) FMJ 390 m/s (1,300 ft/s) 570 J (420 ft?lbf)
    8.00 g (123.5 gr) FMJ 360 m/s (1,200 ft/s) 518 J (382 ft?lbf)
    9.1 g (140 gr) FMJ 305 m/s (1,000 ft/s) 419 J (309 ft?lbf)
    9.5 g (147 gr) JHP 368 m/s (1,210 ft/s) 643 J (474 ft?lbf)
    7.45 g (115.0 gr) JHP +P+ 435 m/s (1,430 ft/s) 704 J (519 ft?lbf)

    The .40 S(hort) & W(impy) loads you asked about are designed to open at lower velocities in an attempt to prevent over-penetration in confined spaces. But this same design feature can work nicely as a defense load also.

    There are all sorts of discussions revolving around self-defense loads and bullet performance, many by folks who don't have the least idea about ballistics and soft tissue targets at all. If this load seems to be accurate in your firearm and you have confidence in its performance, I'd say you have a winner.

    Best.
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  • avdltd
    Thanks again for all your good info, nononsense. I shot 100 rounds of this ammo in my carry gun (a Steyr S-40)and found it to be very accurate and with notably low recoil. This, in combination with the bullet design, and adequate velocity & energy, may well prove this "bargain" round to be just the ticket for my purpose. I bought the remaining six boxes they had.

    Be well
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by nononsense
    avdltd,

    The ballistics for the XM40HA is 1220 FPS @ 446 ft-lbs. muzzle. This ammunition was designed for close quarters, short barrel pistols specifically for ICE.


    For what its worth, the ballistics you cite make this ammo reasonably comparable to premium 9mm luger +P, which yields around 1250 fps with a 124 grain .356 caliber bullet.

    Only this load fires a bullet about 10% larger in both diameter and weight.

    At only $23 a box, if this is loaded with a premium bullet, its a bargain, so long as you realize you are giving up quite a bit of the potential of the .40SW with these lighter weight loads.
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  • avdltd
    Yes, I realize that there are more powerful loads, but the question is: does it matter? A bad hit won't stop a bad guy with either this 135g mild load, or a super hot load, and on the other hand, a good hit would (I presume) do the job with either round, or? I mean, if I have 110% or 250% of what's needed doesn't matter as long as it is 100% or above. Is my reasoning correct or not?

    Be well
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by avdltd
    Yes, I realize that there are more powerful loads, but the question is: does it matter? A bad hit won't stop a bad guy with either this 135g mild load, or a super hot load, and on the other hand, a good hit would (I presume) do the job with either round, or? I mean, if I have 110% or 250% of what's needed doesn't matter as long as it is 100% or above. Is my reasoning correct or not?

    Be well


    There has been an endless debate about what the "best" handgun round is since the inception of handguns.

    My take on this is pretty simple: NO bullet, launched from a one handed gun is ever going to give you deadly/reliable stopping power against a human attacker. The pistol itself is a compromise designed to give up power for easy of use, portability, and concealability.

    If you place the shot(s) into the right place, ANY of the major calibers could work, and if you don't NONE of them will work. On any given day random chance (ie dumb luck) is also a factor.

    Once you accept these things, it makes it a lot easier to stomach what I think are relatively minor differences in stopping power between different high-quality loads within a given caliber, and to a lesser extent between different calibers.

    So all that said, I think 9mm+P ballistics are fine, and I think this particular .40SW load is fine too. If you do your part, it will do its part.

    If you want another sort of basis for comparison, for decades, the .357 magnum revolver was considered the pinnacle of handgun stopping power. Now, part of this is undoubtedly hype, but I think pretty much NOBODY is going to argue you that the .357 isn't an excellent handgun round and one of the best rounds in common use.

    Now compare your 135 grain .40SW bullet at 1220 fps to a typical .357, which fires a 125 grain .357 bullet at 1450 fps (from a longer barreled gun). You'll note that the .40SW is something like 80% of the way there, has a higher capacity, and punches a wider hole. The 135 grain .40SW bullet is also roughly comparable to a standard 357 SIG load.

    While its fair to argue that maybe this particular load isn't the "best" .40SW load, I think it has plenty to offer, and personally, I wouldn't have a problem carrying it, so long as it reliably cycled my gun.
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  • avdltd
    Thanks beentown shoota, you put my mind at ease.

    Be well
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